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Interview: Marco star Unni Mukundan reveals he's working on a film with Vikram, picks Allu Arjun's Pushpa as inspiration

Jan 25, 2025 12:00 PM IST

Unni Mukundan talks to Hindustan Times about his pan-India hit Marco, getting appreciation from action stars, and whether he plans to venture into Hindi films. 

An out-and-out action film from Malayalam cinema is rare and what actor Unni Mukundan has achieved with his recent hit Marco is unprecedented. Having grossed over 120 crore, this A-certified action drama has made the Malikappuram star a pan-Indian actor, who now has a strong market in the Hindi belt as well. (Also Read: Marco star Unni Mukundan shares why Malayalam films don't get theatrical success in Hindi market)

Unni Mukundan's recent film Marco is doing well in Malayalam, Hindi and Telugu.
Unni Mukundan's recent film Marco is doing well in Malayalam, Hindi and Telugu.

Touted as the most violent film ever made, the revenge drama shows no signs of stopping at the box office as it gears up for a release in South Korea in April. In an exclusive chat with Hindustan Times, Unni Mukundan opens up about his return to action cinema after a period of six years and why there was a break.

Marco, a spin-off to Mikhael (2019), is releasing in Kannada on January 31 and the Mollywood actor is pleased that the movie has tasted success in Malayalam, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu already. The Hindi version of the film has grossed over 13 crore while the Telugu version has crossed 10 crore.

On Macro's pan-India success

Did he think Marco would do well in languages other than Malayalam? “I was very sure that it's something new and fresh but when you experiment, you never know which way it’ll go. I was sure about its success in Kerala because I haven’t done action films for seven years as a solo hero and it’s easier for me to market the film stating that it’s a comeback to the action genre,” explained Unni Mukundan. “Telugu action films have done well outside their own market but Marco doing well in Hindi surprised me because we didn’t have the budget to promote the Hindi version all guns blazing – we just promoted it online. But I’m very glad the Hindi audience loved it," he added.

How did he feel about the fact that Hindi audience flocked to theatres because of the content, and not Unni Mukundan? “I felt so good about it because I just felt like a newcomer. After being in the industry 13 years, I was keenly observing how the movie was performing in the Hindi market. We started with 30 shows and went on to do 3,500 shows a day! That was huge. I didn’t have face value and the film did well because people liked the movie, the performances, the overall look and feel, the production values, etc. I would consider Marco as one of the best films that I’ve done – the movie survived sheerly because of its overall quality,” he said happily.

Unni Mukundan in a still from his Malayalam film Marco.
Unni Mukundan in a still from his Malayalam film Marco.

The Garudan actor also revealed that since it was produced by Shareef Muhammed and him, they didn’t have the infrastructure and budget to do a pan-India release so some languages were released at a later date. Talking about the sequel Marco 2, he said, “Malayalam cinema rarely makes action films as one of the main concerns is budget. We tried our best to make sure we made a good film within our limitations. I think Marco 2 will be done in a much better way as we now know how the market functions and I have a face value outside Kerala. With the success of Marco, if the audience has certain expectations for Marco 2, I’ll fulfil those expectations. I don’t see that as added pressure.”

Break from action

Unni Mukundan opened about his break from action films for six years and explained, “Initially in my career, I did supporting roles and some women-oriented films, and played the antagonist. They were all good films. Then I got an offer for a film which a Malayalam superstar turned down and that movie became a hit. I was typecast as an action hero but after that, I wanted to showcase my versatility and prove my acting talent. I made a conscious decision to not do action movies for a period of six years because in Kerala, you get sidelined as an ‘all brawn and no brain’ actor when you do only action films. For instance, I produced and acted in Meppadiyan (2022), which won National Awards. Malikappuram (2022) grossed over 100 crore and Jai Ganesh (2024) was also different. After having proved myself in performance-oriented films for six years and made a mark as a good actor, I decided to get back to action. I love action and it’s the top genre that exploits cinematic brilliance. I have a lot of respect for action heroes.”

He added that he will now follow up with a few more action films, including Marco 2, given his long break from the genre. Will he ever do the kind of stunts one sees Tom Cruise doing? “He pushes the boundaries and at his age, the kind of action he does is unmatched. What I love about his action sequences are not him jumping off a cliff or anything but the long single shots and the speed at which he runs. He runs like he’s 15 years old! Looking at the confidence he has at this age and doing those sequences, I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to achieve any of that, but I’ll try,” smiled Unni Mukundan.

Recently, there have been rumours that he is all set to make his Bollywood debut, but the Jai Ganesh actor says that it won’t happen for another one and a half years at least. “I have many commitments here to finish. I am looking forward to doing a straight Hindi film and that’s on my must-do list. My priority is that whatever I do, I have to leave a mark. It should be good. I have never got second chances that easily so I don't take things for granted. I really want to uplift the Hindi audience with good cinema because they took my film, Marco, from nowhere to being one of the biggest blockbusters Malayalam cinema has ever seen. So I have to treat them well,” commented Unni Mukundan.

Speaking of second chances, has his career in Malayalam had its share of challenges? “Not challenges, but maybe I faced personal dilemmas. I started to produce my own films during the COVID pandemic in order to sustain my career. During the pandemic, the audience was exposed to international cinema and I felt doing the regular films won’t help. So I decided to cut down my salary and focus on making good cinema. I started with Meppadiyan and when it became a hit and won National Awards, it really motivated me. It gave me confidence that I was capable of producing good films and also performance-driven cinema. Marco is my fourth film and I’m going to produce my fifth also. All my production ventures have made me money too. If I had been working for a producer, I wouldn’t have been able to maintain this production standard. The production quality of Marco is top-notch and even the reviews and people have spoken about it. I’ve told my team that I will not take this success for granted and they shouldn’t also,” he asserted.

As for his upcoming projects, Unni Mukundan remained tight-lipped, but revealed, “Action films travel faster beyond borders and the success of Marco is overwhelming, but I’m very happy as we’ve worked hard to achieve this. Making good cinema is what I’ll continue to focus on. Many actors also appreciated my work, including Vikram and Allu Arjun. Allu Arjun’s Pushpa was an inspiration for me – the way his character was and how unique it was presented. That is what I’ve attempted with Marco. I am a huge fan of Vikram sir. He has done all sorts of cinema and appreciation coming from him really motivates me. When stars who have already proved themselves recognise someone who’s not so well-known outside Kerala, it shows the appreciation they have for good cinema. And yes, there are talks on between Vikram sir and me for a film, so let’s see.”

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